History will be made in 2010 as the Art Basel festival, which annually transforms Miami and Miami Beach into a global Mecca for visual art for a few heady days in early December, will be marked by an unprecedented presence of world-class African World art (from the Diaspora and the Motherland) in no less than four locations, from December 2-5.  

The newly opened two-level art gallery in the beautifully restored historic Ward Rooming House in Overtown, at 291 NW 9^th Street, will host a history-making exhibition of works by the legendary original Florida Highwaymen, a group of artists who earned fame (and later, fortune) by selling their richly colored landscape paintings of the Everglades and other Florida wild lands right from their cars.  The26 original Highwaymen, of whom several are now deceased, became known throughout the state, as art lovers vied to own these fine works of original art at then-bargain prices.  

This exhibition, sponsored in part by the City of Miami Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), with its lush views of the beauty beyond the urban environment, is a most fitting way to put the new gallery, in the heart of the Overtown Folk Life Village, on the permanent map for art enthusiasts worldwide.  The exhibition has also earned in-kind support from the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust. Shuttle transportation will help the wider community and visitors to reach this and other venues.

No less significant is a unique exhibition of new and recent works by several Florida African World Artists entitled “African Roots/American Fruits.”   This “visual jazz concert” of paintings, drawings, sculptures and other works featuring several local artists takes place in Miami’s burgeoning Wynwood art district, at Artlab33 | Art Space, 2085B NW 2^nd Avenue.  The exhibition is open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. during Art Basel, and will continue throughout the month of December, during gallery walks and by appointment.  It is also accessible by shuttle transportation during the Art Basel days.

Linking the two locations will be a third special attraction, the highly popular Kinad Mobile Museum, featuring a special educational/historical exhibition of “The Old Masters of African American Art” at the Overtown and Wynwood locations on December 3 and 4.  Kinad, Inc., a family-based nonprofit organization, which is also a co-sponsor of the Highwaymen exhibition, has become renowned throughout the state for its original displays of Black history and heritage, both aboard the Mobile Museum, which regularly visits schools and cultural institutions , and in such locations as the Florida State Capitol, Miami-Dade Government Center, and the Miami-Dade School Board.  The “Old Masters” is being unveiled for the first time during Art Basel, and is also sponsored in part by the City of Miami CRA.

The fourth exhibition is near, but yet far from the hubbub of the urban art scene, in the peaceful and  scenic location of Historic Virginia Key beach, 4020 Virginia Beach Drive, off Rickenbacker Causeway, on Virginia Key.  Entitled entitled “Ebony Beach,” this showing of acrylic paintings by minister and artist Alan Laird, enhanced by a display of rare artifacts of the segregation era from his personal collection, celebrates the history and heritage of historic Black beaches throughout the country.

Admission to all four exhibitions is open and free to the public.  These events are coordinated with other programs and exhibitions funded by the CRA, and publicity will be available at all locations.  For further information on the four exhibitions, please call 305-904-7620, or 786-260-2973.

Miami-Dade Parks Seeks Service Providers

The County Parks Department invites yoga, karate or Tai Chi instructors, personal trainers, music, dance or art teachers and other recreation programming specialists to participate in an Invitation-to-Bid (ITB) to provide your program or services at any one of its 263 park locations.

Through the ITB, private providers of these family friendly programs can offer their services to the community on Miami-Dade Park property, a potential windfall for businesses that are financially strained by the high cost and overhead of leasing. For more information, contact Jon Seaman at (305) 755-7974 or email [email protected] or Herman Ramsey in the County's Procurement Department at [email protected].

National Urban Fellows Free Recruitment Session

Graduate degree fellowship program is looking for professionals who want to enhance their career success by earning a Master's of Public Administration. Leaders for a Changing America Fellowship program scholarships offer free tuition, a $25,000 stipend, health insurance and more. Interested men or women of color, U.S. citizens with a B.A. and 5-7 years of work experience should attend a free informational presentation on the National Urban Fellows program on Wednesday, Dec. 1 from 6-8 p.m. at the Miami Children's Museum, 980 Macarthur Causeway. Recruitment RSVP to National Urban Fellows.

Youth Environmental Programs
The Captain Planet Foundation seeks to fund innovative programs that empower children and youth to work towards solving environmental problems in their neighborhoods and communities. All funded projects must involve young people ages 6-18 (elementary through high school). Nonprofit organizations and public schools worldwide are eligible to apply for grants of $250 to $2,500. Applications are reviewed quarterly; the next deadline is Dec. 31. For application guidelines, visit Captain Planet Foundation.


Nutrition Education Programs
The Allen Foundation supports nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions that promote human nutrition in the areas of health, education, training, and research. Grant priorities include the following: nutritional education for mothers during pregnancy and after the birth of their children, training for educators and demonstrators of good nutritional practices, and the dissemination of healthful nutritional information. Relevant nutritional research projects are also supported. The next application deadline is Dec. 31. Visit the Allen Foundation for an eligibility quiz and submit an online application.


Community/Composer Collaborations
MTC's MetLife Creative Connections program provides grants ranging from $250 to $3,500 to enable American composers to participate in public activities related to specific performances of their original music. The program aims to increase awareness and enhance the creative artist's role in society by supporting the composer's interaction with audiences, performers, arts organizations, and local communities. Applications are submitted by a sponsoring organization. Applications are reviewed quarterly; the upcoming deadline is Jan. 7, 2011. Visit Meet the Composer for online application information.


Youth Fishing and Boating Education Programs
The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation seeks to implement an informed national outreach strategy that increases participation in recreational angling and boating. The Foundation's National Youth Fishing & Boating Initiative is offering grants to youth-focused boating, fishing, and conservation organizations for pilot-to-national or national aquatic education programs that introduce children and their families to boating and fishing. The application deadline is Dec. 27. Visit National Youth Fishing and Boating Inititiative to review the grant guidelines and submit an online application.


IBM Smarter Cities Challenge
This three-year IBM Corporate Citizenship initiative enables up to 100 cities around the world to become smarter by enhancing their capacity to collect, analyze, and act upon information across multiple core systems; apply systems analysis to the key problems facing cities; create an environment where global cities can learn from one another; and foster partnerships that address critical challenges, enabling cities around the world to become more vibrant and livable places for their citizens. Awards in IBM technology range from $250,000 to $400,000. Application deadline is Dec. 31. For more information, visit Smarter Cities Challenge.


Youth Running Programs
The Saucony Run for Good Foundation helps to prevent and reduce childhood obesity by offering grants of up to $10,000 to nonprofits that initiate and support running and fitness programs for kids. Program participants must be 18 years of age or younger. Priority will be given to programs that serve youth populations not traditionally exposed to running programs. The application deadline is Dec. 13. Visit Run for Good to download the application guidelines.

(Miami, Florida)-- Wingspan Seminars Radio Show, Conflict Corner, continues its series of special programs highlighting several young business leaders during November Global Youth Entrepreneur Month. Wingspan CEO Priscilla Dames leads discussions with Omoruyi Guobadia, President of Graduation Jerseys, Inc. Mr. Guobadia will share tips on how he made his business plan work.

“As an educator and businesswoman I’m honored to have many opportunities to shape the business acumen of young adults,” stated Priscilla Dames, “In addition to highlighting South Florida young professionals on Conflict Corner Radio Show, I am also part of the Barry-ADPED project, which will bring 20 young Nigerian entrepreneurs to the United States during November.”

Nigerian  entrepreneurs in the Barry-ADPED project participate in a four-week training program led by Barry University Business School faculty in the areas of human resource management, mergers and acquisitions, accountability, operations and project management as well financial markets among other subjects. The group is accompanied by two mentors, senior government officials representing the Small and Medium and Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Nigerian Economic Recovery Fund (NERFUND). They meet on Barry’s Miami Shores campus Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through December 6, 2010.

The group also attends tours in and around South Florida including communities such as Overtown, MiMo and Little Haiti where Barry’s Institute for Community and Economic Development (BICED) has worked closely with community leaders on projects.

Each young entrepreneur will formulate a business plan that can be deployed upon returning to Nigeria. They also visit local businesses and small ventures, as well as organizations that support entrepreneurs such as banks and other financial institutions, venture capitalists, as well as governmental and non-governmental agencies that track and support economic and entrepreneurial activity. Priscilla Dames, along with nine other professionals including ADPED leaders and Barry faculty members traveled to Nigeria for one week to assist colleagues at their partner institutions to develop their own entrepreneurship training program. Barry professors will collaborate with their counterparts in the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile Ife to strengthen their entrepreneurship curriculum.

Wingspan CEO, Priscilla Dames specializes in strengthening relationships through conflict resolution. She is a certified mediator, and a member of the national and Florida state crisis teams. Ms. Dames is also a Nationally Certified Crisis Trainer, Educator, and child and community activist with over twenty years of rich and varied experience. Five years ago she founded Wingspan Seminars, which provides training for the prevention and intervention of conflict and diversity. Wingspan Seminars' Conflict Corner Radio Show addresses a variety of today's hot issues with a roster of guest speakers. The primary facilitators are Youth Coordinators. Listen to Conflict Corner Radio Show every Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. EST. To be a guest on Conflict Corner Radio Show, or, for inquiries on how to schedule a Wingspan Seminar, please call 1-877-255-1039.

On Saturday, November 13, 2010, demonstrators protested outside of the Cutler Bay/Goulds Publix Supermarket on US 1 and Allapattah as the EEOC investigates another allegation of racial and gender discrimination. Currently, Publix has no female African-American store Managers in the state of Florida. Publix operates over 1,300 stores in five states and there is a disproportionate number of minorities in management.

Publix operates over 1,000 stores across five states and employs over 139,000 employees. Allegations of bias at Publix surfaced in 1995 when the grocery chain paid $3.5-million to settle racial discrimination claims filed by the EEOC on behalf of all black store employees. That year the grocery chain also paid $81.5-million to settle a sexual discrimination case on behalf of women employees. In a December 2000 settlement, Publix agreed to pay $10-million and use an outside mediator to referee disputed racial discrimination claims for seven years. In settling the suit, Publix admitted no wrongdoing.

Publix continues to covertly discriminate against minorities by placing them in low volume stores and passing them over for promotions that they are clearly and equally qualified for but are denied with no valid reason. These discriminatory actions affect the bonuses and earning potential of these minorities and in turn pays them less than their counterparts.

Publix corporate management refuses to comment on this situation because of the ongoing the EEOC investigation. Employment discrimination attorney Ena Diaz has been retained to represent the plaintiffs.

Nationally renowned activist will share her story about living with AIDS

Miami, FL – Miami Dade College (MDC) will host two free community events in recognition of World AIDS Day on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010 at 11:15 a.m. at the Homestead Campus, and at 3 p.m. at Miami International Airport (MIA). Nationally renowned activist and motivational speaker Hydeia Broadbent will speak to attendees about living with AIDS and her struggle to survive.

Additionally, there will be free STD testing on-site provided by the Miami-Dade County Health Department; HIV testing with results within 20 minutes will be offered by medical mobile unit Rapid Testing from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Homestead Campus location only. Also, Sembrando Flores Compassionate Care Ministries, a faith-based social service organization based in Homestead, will deliver a presentation about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS as well as other STD’s in the community. Both events are free and open to the public.

“The Homestead Campus is pleased to offer important information on HIV/AIDS and other STD's, and to provide potentially life-saving testing to our students and community,” said Dr. Jeanne F. Jacobs, president of MDC’s Homestead Campus. “We are very pleased to have Ms. Broadbent share her inspirational story and to educate our students and the community about strategies for combatting the disease.”

Expected to live only until the age of five, Broadbent, who is now 26, has maintained a courageous stance in speaking publicly about the virus. She has delivered keynote speeches at the International AIDS Conference in Toronto, the Essence Music Festival, Bishop T.D. Jakes’ AIDS Rally, and the BET Leading Women’s Defined Summit in Washington, D.C. Broadbent was adopted as an infant and though her HIV condition was congenital, she was not diagnosed as HIV-positive with advancement to AIDS until age three. The prognosis was that she would not live past the age of five and as a result became the test baby for HIV/AIDS medications, which are currently on the market today.

WHAT:      World AIDS Day Events at Miami Dade College

WHEN:       Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010

WHERE:     11:15 a.m.
               MDC Homestead Campus
               500, College Terrace, Room F222

               3 p.m.
               MDC Homestead Campus at Miami International Airport
               2460 N.W. 66^th  Ave., Bldg. 701, Miami, 33122

COST:       Free

For more information about World AIDS Day at MDC, contact Nicole Bryant at 305-237-5223.

To mark World AIDS Day on December 1^st, the global humanitarian organization Save the Children will host an exhibit at the “Arts for a Better World” event in Miami featuring artwork, art materials and photos from its Healing and Education through Arts (HEART) program for preschool children orphaned and affected by HIV/AIDS in rural Mozambique. The exhibit also will showcase art from Save the Children’s HEART program in El Salvador, Haiti, Malawi and Nepal.

In Mozambique, 400,000 children have lost one or both parents to AIDS, and tens of thousands more help care for sick relatives.  Many children affected by HIV/AIDS, especially the youngest, cannot articulate what they have experienced or are feeling. Save the Children’s HEART program gives children a creative way to express and work through their feelings and experiences so they are better able to cope and to recover.

The art exhibit will be held at Soho Studios at the Wynwood Convention Center from December 1 to 5.  Admission to “Arts for a Better World” is $10. Free of charge at all times for children under 18, members of the Armed Forces, and Art Basel VIP badge holders. For tickets and more information, call 754.423.3226 or go here.

Tournament of Champions, Inc. (TOC) To Host The South Florida Student Athlete Academic-Human Development  Symposium on December 5, 2010, at  Miami Central High at 1pm

 Trinidad’s 4-Time Olympian Ato Boldonto to appear as guest speaker

Miami, FL - Tournament of Champions, Inc. (TOC) will host their  free annual South Florida Student Athlete Academic -Human Development Symposium on December 5, 2010, at Miami Central High School auditorium at 1pm for the one hundred of the best senior football players participating in the Nike South Florida All-Star Football game and 200 basketball players competing in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Basketball Classic. For 17 years TOC Inc. has been committed to providing scholastic athletes with the skills and information necessary for a successful transition to college and thereafter. It is designed to teach players to cope with unique stresses inherent in their lives and how to use the various resources available to them.TOC Transition Symposium is the longest running and most extensive support system in Florida scholastic sports. The program features a comprehensive assortment of educations and developmental programs. South Florida has more NFL players than any other region in the United States and Miami has more than any other city. Ninety-five person of all NFL players born in South Florida have competed in TOC’s South Florida All-Star Football Game (Dade vs Broward).

The symposium provides firsthand knowledge of what to expect as a collegiate athlete and how to balance these pressures and demands. The facilitator use presentations, role-playing, skits and interactive workshops, as well as group breakout sessions. Facilitators include: Wali Jones, Philadelphia 76ERS-Host, Dr. Danette Arthur-Addiction, Detective James Mesidor-Domestic Violence, Mr. Terrance Cribbs-Lorrant-AIDS & Sexual Health, Mr. Ato Bolton-Media Interview Skills, Mr. Dennard Mitchell-Brand/Image, and Ms. Zo Madison-Clearinghouse.

“I am excited about this year’s symposium. The facilitator’s are committed to providing the valuable tools that these athletes will need as they further their careers. We appreciate the generosity of sponsors and community partners for making this event possible, states Wesley Frater, Owner/CEO of TOC Inc.

Sponsors include: Publix Supermarkets, US Army, Miami Children’s Hospital, Powerade, SEI Communications, Dade County Football Coaches Association, 100 Black Men of South Florida and Westside Gazette Newspaper.